It's Complicated
by Honorary Viral
Summary: Jordan Sparker has a problem. Well, twelve, to be exact. His parents couldn't care less about him. Said parents are in league with evil villain bent on world domination. Said villain wants him to kill his crush. Said crush is the best friend of his SECOND crush. Said second crush just so happens to be the princess of Medora, etc. Just the average life of your every day Claim-ee.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I was going through the internet, because I have nothing better to do with my life, and was searching for...Akarnae fanfiction! But guess what? None. No. Single. Freaking. Story. And I was thinking, hey, I have a fanfiction account, why not write one? Since this is my...FIFTH story at the moment, I probably won't update much, but hey! You don't need to know that. Also, I can't remember if it's Shondelle or Shontelle, so bear with me, okay?**

 **Enjoy! (I should** ** _really_** **get a better catchphrase)**

"You didn't kill her." I didn't reply. Couldn't, really.

"Go up to your room. You can use your emotions. Don't escape!" Aven called teasingly after me. I scowled, now free to do whatever I wanted. Except escape. Which, funnily enough, was the _only_ thing I wanted. Pretty sad, really. When I asked Aven to Claim me, I really didn't think about the consequences. Didn't think at all, more like. Well, not my thoughts, anyway. That day at Chateau Shontelle, I'd been trapped. Cornered. Then these weird thoughts had been, I dunno, _projected_ into my head. Ugh. I hated thinking about it.

I reached my room, and slammed the door. Yes, I was Claimed. Yes, I totally despised Aven and would do anything to be un-Claimed but...the food here is _freaking amazing_. It's the best, even better than at Akarnae, and that's saying something. My room is pretty cool too, of course. Can't have his best weapon in the slums. I guessed that's what I was, I mean, I would hurt Alex without batting an eye when Aven ordered me to, but Alex wouldn't hurt me back. Like when I fought her the other day, and _damn_ , can she fight, she was obviously better than me, but held out. She's cool like that, not killing her BFF. Well, maybe not forever, now. And anyway, I have a bit of a problem with BFF's.

Okay. So, I haven't exactly made it subtle with my feelings for D.C. But Alex misinterpreted what I meant when I said, it's complicated, all those weeks ago. What I really meant? Was that I liked her too. I know, I know, total Casanova, eh? But it's true. Then she seemed to have a thing with Kaiden, so I decided to make my move on D.C. And then, before I could actually _do_ anything, I just had to go and be Claimed! My life really sucks. It can't really get much worse. Why? Let's see.

Reasons why my life sucks, The Fifth:  
1\. Dumb, socialite, high class parents who don't give a damn about me  
2\. Above parents are in league with Aven  
3\. Who I asked to claim me! Fun  
4\. My brother committed suicide, and is apparently still alive, and my parents knew and didn't clue me in  
5\. I like two girls  
6\. Aven wants me to _kill_ one of said girls  
7\. He probably wants me to kill the other one, too  
8\. Who is the princess of Medora. Assassination charge? Execution  
9\. I'll have to choose between one of these girls if I get my own life back  
10\. I probably won't ever get my own life back  
11\. I skipped breakfast, and now I won't be able to eat until dinner  
12\. I'm freaking _Claimed_

Yeah, that's a pretty solid list. For the zintremulinth time, I eyed the knife on my dresser. Aven wanted me to keep it so I could 'remember I have to kill her'. It's quite sinister. If I stuck that knife through me (okay, maybe that phrasing was bad. Don't blame me, I'm going through an angsty existential crisis), then Aven would find it that much harder to succeed. But then, I'd be dead, which, surprisingly, I don't particularly want right now. I did promise D.C., though. Maybe I ask to go back and pretend to be on their side, when I actually am! But they know I'm Claimed. Or I sneak out using my gift? This whole Claimed thing is seriously annoying. I heard a knock at the door.

"Come in," I called miserably. Antonio stuck his dark head around the door.

"Don't sound so depressed, mate, I'm here," he joked. I raised my eyebrows.

"Dude, you're supposed to be the funny one! I'm your handy dandy sidekick! But nooo, you're back to all this sad "my life is so sad" crap."

"I just came up with a list of why my life sucks. Number one, my parents-" Antonio waved a hand.

"I came up to tell you that Aven's sending us on a super secret mission after dinner. Fun, right?" He said dryly.

"As long as it's after dinner," I nodded. He groaned.

"One day, Jordan Sparker, I will figure out your obsession with food. But not today."

"What's there to get? I like eating. I'm a growing boy," I explained. He shook his head.

"So am I. And I'm older than you. And who doesn't like eating?"

"Apparently you," I muttered, before standing up. Hey ho, hey ho, off to Aven we go. I slid down the banister, which I am a pro at. It was half my life at the Chateau.

"Hey! What're we eating?" I called once I hit the ground. Aven scowled.

"Pizza's on the table. Take a seat," he ordered, gesturing towards the table. See, when most people tell you to take a seat, you have a choice, and can be a total rude person and stay standing. But Antonio and I, being suckily Claimed, actually _had_ to do it. We willingly (read: uh, I don't actually know what I thought I was gonna write. Um, _not_ willingly? What a wit you are, Jordan. Really) took our seats, and dug in to the pizza. I was on my fourth piece when Aven spoke.

"You two are going to stake out Akarnae. Then Meya. I want to know how Alex is doing in her training. She will no doubt want to try and free you," he looked at me disdainfully, like, why would anyone want to free you? "You may do whatever it takes to remain under the radar, but you shall not tell them what you are doing, or else." I snorted at that. Aven's head whipped towards me, his golden eyes narrowing.

"Yes, Sparker?"

"We're Claimed. What can be worse than that?" I didn't realize what Aven knew. A wicked grin split his face.

"Oh, I can do a whole lot. Like hurting that little girlfriend of yours." The sad thing was, I didn't know which one he was talking about. I assumed it was D.C. Antonio let out a low whistle.

"Dang, man, you have a girlfriend? And didn't tell me?" Aven's glare turned to him.

"Shut up. Both of you," he added menacingly, switching his gaze back to me. Sucky thing number five thousand about being Claimed: when someone tells you to shut up, your mouth actually is forced closed. It's like it's glued together, which, trust me, is _not_ a nice experience. If you were really clever, maybe, you could shut something that went up, or whatever, but I'm only a Gamma in the smart subject, unlike Bear.

"You understand your orders?" Aven demanded. Antonio and I pointed to our mouths. His eyes rolled.

"You can nod, you idiots! Dismissed. Get going for Akarnae." We abruptly stood up, and headed out the door. Ain't my life great.


	2. Chapter 2

**Annnnd...here's the next update! I haven't got anything to say, so...**

 **Enjoy! (Still working on that)**

Because Antonio's mind only functions in one direction, the first thing he said to me when we got outside was: "So. This girlfriend. Is she hot?"

"Nah, she's real ugly," I drawled, walking toward the Avenpath. Yes, like the Valispath, but Aven isn't original enough to make up a proper name for it, so we're stuck with Avenpath.

"Seriously, dude. I wanna meet this girlfriend," Antonio insisted, following eagerly behind me. I raised an eyebrow at him. That reminded me of when Alex had a dillyberry overdose, in her first year, and said she looked liked a demented monkey when she tried it. Ah, the good old days.

"Dude, I don't have a girlfriend," I snorted. "I wish." He perked up. Oh, crap. Here come the questions.

"So you like someone? Who is it? That girl Aven tried to get you to kill?" He pressed. I pressed my fingers against my face.

"Who even brings up something like that? Great conversation killer, bro," I deadpanned. He held up his hands.

"Hey, just wondering how my boys doing. I gotta look out for you whippersnappers," he said seriously. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye, then burst out laughing.

"'I gotta look out for you whippersnappers', Ant? I'm not even that much younger than you! One year," I pointed out. He pointed a finger at me.

"Don't lie, Sparky. You're seventeen, I'm nineteen," he explained slowly. I scowled.

"I'm turning eighteen soon! In like, three months! One year," I argued. He shrugged.

"'I'm turning eighteen soon!' But you ain't eighteen yet, son, so it's two years."

"But-"

"Come on, Sparky. Let's get going before Aven's on our butts." So I followed him onto the Avenpath, and flinched as it picked us up. It wasn't like the nice, magical force-field protected Valispath. Oh no, Aven's twisted version was open to the elements, and I was pretty sure that when we stepped off of it, my face was raw and scratched from... _stuff_ hitting it. I rubbed my cheeks to try warm them up.

"Ow," I groaned. Antonio just nodded. His hair was considerably longer than mine, and his curls were blown up over his head. I tried to stifle my snicker. His eyes snapped to me. Damn that boys good hearing.

"Anything wrong, Sparker?" I stuck my hands in my pockets, and walked past him, whistling.

"Nice hairdo," I said nonchalantly, and kept heading towards the academy, since the path had dropped us off about a mile south of it. I mentally counted to five.

One, two.

"Hey, what's that mean?"

Three, four.

"What the hell's wrong with-"

Five.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH MY HAIR!"

"So, do we take the direct approach, or the stealthy method?" Antonio asked seriously, back pressed against a tree. I looked over at him from my own tree.

"You make it sound like we're planning an assassination. 'Do we go straight for the kill, or wait a while, gain their trust?'" I replied.

Antonio scowled. "Ha ha, Sparker, you're quite the wit. And I don't think you'll be gaining anyone's trust, since they know you're Claimed." I shrugged at him.

"Hey, it's not like I actually have to hurt them. Aven just said to 'stalk them with whatever means necessary' like some dodgy-"

"I think he actually said 'stake them it'," Antonio corrected.

"Whatever," I said absentmindedly. "But I could go back, tell them what my orders are, and make sure they don't do anything too get-killed-by-Aven-worthy, and it'd still be cool!"

"Yeah. Assuming they don't lock you up so you can't go back to Aven," he replied dryly. I raised my palms.

"Hey, I don't have anything to lose, so why _not_ have them lock me up? Actually, that's a good idea, then I won't 'unintentionally' hurt anybody," I announced, and began walking towards the academy entrance. Antonio reached out and pulled me back.

"Why am I even friends with you?" He muttered quietly. I sent a wink over my shoulder.

"'Cause all the other people Aven Claimed are boring pricks? Because I actually have a personality and sense of humor? Because of my charming good looks?" I suggested. He gave me the stink eye.

"I've got a better idea." Which is why, ten minutes later, I was back in my old dorm room. See, Antonio can teleport, and he brought us both back here, so I could open the door. Of course, since it was still only halfway through Kaldoras, no one was there, which Ant had to remind me of before I freaked that Bear might be inside.

"It's still Kaldoras, Sparky. I know that in your depressed state you may not have noticed what's been going on in the outside world, but I got Claimed before you and I brought my calendar." I glanced at him from the sides of my eyes.

"Worst Kaldoras ever," I grumbled.

"Hear, hear." Inside, we invaded the wardrobe for 'clever disguises', so we could pass as transfer students. Of course, we'd need Marselle to clear it for us...well, _one_ person knowing couldn't hurt, right?

Famous last words.

I really hoped not. I really didn't want to die any time soon, and if I did, I wanted my last lines on Medora to be something witty and tragic, like maybe-

"Why did your principal give a boys dorm _dresses?_ "

That wasn't it.

I shrugged, sifting through my old clothes. "Maybe they wanted to stop gender discrimination, one dress at a time." He gave me a dry look.

"Oh, I'm sure that's it." A few minutes later, we were decked out in wigs and weird outfits. I now had brown hair, and I'd managed to even find some green contacts! 'Cause if I had brown, I'd look too much like Bear. Except less tan. Well, I could always hope. Antonio didn't _have_ to do anything, since nobody knew him, but he didn't want to take any 'unnecessary risks', so had blue contacts. Like that's gonna help. I tried telling him this, but he just waved me off.

"I _hate_ blue. No one's suspect me to have blue eyes," he'd defended. I stared at him.

"No one knows who you are! You think Aven knows your least favourite colour? He'll still know," I reasoned.

"Ah, but Aven already knows who I am and can control my every whim. So therefore, he doesn't count." He winced after he said that. "I really, really hope he doesn't have listening devices in here."

"Because him knowing we hate him, even though he _most likely_ already knows, is our biggest problem right now, yeah? Why don't I add that to my list-"

"You need to stop making lists, dude. It's unhealthy."

"Writing lists is unhealthy?" I clarified.

He nodded seriously. "They contaminate your brain. You get addicted. It's unsafe." I snorted at that.

"That'll be my downfall for sure, writing too many lists," I said agreeably. Antonio's hands flew up.

"Hey, when someone's discovered all your weaknesses through one of your lists-"

"I make them in my head."

"How do you remember them, then? You got some super megabyte storage up there?" He tapped his skull.

"Yep," I replied.

"Well, that's even worse! Your brain'll be too full, and you'll die of thinking too much because you're living inside your own head and not interacting with real people and you'll go crazy so your girlfriend will dump you," he explained matter of factly.

"Ah, right. Why didn't I think of that?" I asked sarcastically.

On that note, we headed off to find Marselle.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Last night I had ten minutes of spare time, so I re-read some of the scenes in Raelia, and I discovered how much of a fangirl I really am It's quite sad, really. But I now know it's Shondelle, so sorry if I put Shontelle last time (which I think I did. And I call myself a fan). But anyway, here's chapter three for my one reader. Dedicating this to you, Pensy.**

 **Enjoy! (if you've read my other stories, you'll know)**

The academy was a whole lot quieter than I was used to, since I never got back from Kaldoras early.

"Is it normally this quiet?" Antonio whispered. My eyes rolled.

"Like you keep reminding me, it's _Kaldoras_. No one's here except for those few people who would rather stay at school than go home." He looked pointedly at me. "Hey, _I'd_ rather go home, and my home kinda sucks."

"You would not rather go home, you liar," he accused. I raised my palms in defence.

"Hey, you believe what you like. School's school, however you look at it. And any time away from Finn and Karter is great with me."

"I really need to meet those two," Antonio grumbled.

My grin widened. "Oh, you're gonna regret ever uttering those words."

Finally, we approached Marselle's office. I knocked twice, then Antonio knocked once, because he didn't want to feel 'left out'. Hmm. The door clicked open, and I stood up straighter from my slouched position on the wall.

"Darius!" I exclaimed, clapping him on the shoulder. He raised his eyebrows at me. "Hi, Marselle," I added sulkily. Antonio snickered.

"And who might you be?" Ah, right. I was in disguise.

"You might wanna take a seat. This could take a while."

After _ages_ of explaining (okay, maybe it was only like five minutes, but it _seemed_ like forever), we'd got him to agree with our plan.

"As long as you don't actually hear anything too...private," he said sceptically.

"Yessir!" I said, snapping a salute.

"So, you'll be in your usual dorm?"

"Um, yeah."

"What about me?" Antonio broke in. Oh yeah. He was there. Hey, I'm not that observant! Gosh.

"You..." Marselle trailed off, and pulled out a wad of papers from his desk drawer. "Can stay in the empty room on floor eight." I bit back a laugh. That was the top floor, which meant he'd have to walk up the stairs _every single night_ , even after PE and Combat. I pitied the boy. No, really, I did!

"Cool. Eight. Can we go plot our valiant return to Meya now?"

Marselle's eyes twinkled. "Sure, Antonio. May I have a word, Jordan?" Oh no.

"Um, yes?" Wow, Jordan. How articulate. Antonio chuckled, but quickly exited the room.

"Jordan, I'm sure you understand the importance of not getting...too attached, while you're here," Marselle began.

I didn't get it. "What-?"

He cut me off before I could finish asking my question. Rude, man. "You can't let your friends get too close to you, or they might start to suspect. I'll make the teachers aware of our situation, but I would suggest lying low for a while," he gave me a stern look. "Which means none of your stunts to land yourself in detention, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear," I replied cheerfully, plastering a grin onto my face.

"Very well." He didn't look convinced. "You also need an alias."

"Uh..." I blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Bob Smith?" All I got in response was an unimpressed look.

"I've got a new folder here for an Oliver Jones," he said. I shrugged.

"Well, I'd like-"

"That wasn't a suggestion."

"Right," I nodded seriously. "Oli Jones. Whatever. Great."

"That's everything. You may go. Remember, no one can know who you are, Jordan. No one. You two should go get some dinner and get settled before everyone comes back from Kaldoras. I expect you'll want to be rested. You can come back tomorrow for Antonio's schedule."

"Yes sir!" I snapped a salute before turning towards the door.

"And Jordan," he called after me. I glanced over my shoulder.

"Yeah?"

"You're rooming with Bear again. He's known you for far longer than Alex or Delucia. And while you may not have shown Bear your 'romantic side' like the other two, he'll know something's up if you act like you normally do."

"Sure...wait. What?"

An amused smile quirked his lips. "Goodnight, Jordan."

"Night..."

Antonio was outside, propped against the corridor wall. He raised his eyebrows when he spotted me. I didn't stop moving, and he was right on my heels.

"What was that about?" He asked curiously. I shrugged, looking back at the headmaster's door.

"I really don't know," I muttered. "But apparently, my headmaster knows more about my love life than I do."

Antonio snickered, and I scowled at him. "That's when you know your life is sad. You're being stalked by a teacher."

"I now officially know how Alex felt for all that time," I stated.

"Who's Alex?"

I sighed as we walked into . "I suppose I should fill you in before everyone gets back. What do I have to lose? My life already sucks."

"Well, it could always get worse." I stared at him blankly.

"How?" I asked sulkily, sitting down at a random table and picking up a menu. He held back a grin.

"You could be dead. Have an incurable disease. Or..." He trailed off, picking up his own menu.

"Or what?"

"You could never be able to eat pizza again," he finished as a plate of it appeared in front of him.

"Right," I replied sceptically.

It was the day. The day everyone came back to the academy. Naturally, I couldn't keep my feet still at breakfast the next day, much to Antonio's chagrin.

"Dude, can you _please_ stop tapping your foot? It's driving me crazy," he groaned, rubbing his temples. My mouth split into an unholy grin, and I sped up the tapping. I skewered another piece of bacon with my fork, and had it halfway to my mouth when a spoonful of scrambled egg hit me in the face.

Blinking, I slowly raised my eyes. Antonio had his spoon (who eats eggs with a spoon, anyway?) over his shoulder, grinning his head off.

"Oh, you wanna fight, Alvarez?" I regrettably lowered my bacon, and picked up my menu. "Well, forget it. I'm not in the mood."

"You're no fun, Sparky."

"Yeah," I murmured. "No fun at all." Quickly scanning the options, I selected the spaghetti. Yep, I was officially evil.

"Spaghetti for breakfast, dude? What's up with...oh. Oh, no, Jordan, can't we work something out-" He was cut off by a forkful of pasta landing on his head. "Gross!" Before he could retaliate, I darted to the other side of the cafeteria, suddenly really glad there wasn't anyone serving food to tell us off. Flipping a table with my Finn-detention gained strength, I ducked behind it and snatched a stray menu, ready to up my stock. Just as I raised my head, I got hammered by mashed potatoes. Right in the ear, too.

"You're going down, Alvarez!" I shouted, lobbing some random food item over his shelter. I grinned as I heard his angry shriek. The fight went on for a while, since we hadn't really had much fun when we were stuck with Aven. He wasn't really the 'fun' type of guy.

I'd just got my hands on a whipped cream can, and was spraying Antonio while he lamely tried to shield himself when I heard the door open. A glance at my TCD revealed it was arrival time. "Oh, crap! Antonio, we gotta-" I was silenced by a chunk of ice cream hitting me.

I weighed my options. Common sense or revenge?

Screw it. "You're gonna get it, 'Varez!" I yelled. "Just you wait!" I aimed my can again, and started chasing him around the room. While we were running, I admired my handiwork. He was a mess. Then again, I probably was too. A loud voice broke the chaos.

"I guess brunch's out." I froze, and didn't dare turning my head towards the door, knowing who it was that stood there.

"Too bad. I was hungry." I recognized that voice, too. Even if it hadn't been too long since we'd started talking.

An incredulous scoff rang through the room. "How could you still be hungry? If Gammy heard that, she'd be offended."

"You'd think the new students could hold off for _one_ day, at least," Marselle grumbled. I chewed my lip. Crap. Why did the headmaster escort three students to the cafeteria? It didn't make sense. Stupid academy. Slowly, I met Antonio's gaze, and he nodded subtlely. I turned towards the newcomers, and flashed a wave. Then dropped my hand, thinking it was too Jordan-like.

"Oliver Jones," I said awkwardly. "Charmed." Then winced at how lame that seemed.

"Antonio. Garcia," he added. I shot him a 'what the hell' look. He ignored me.

"Riiight. Nice meeting you. Come on, guys, let's go." I could tell what Dix thought of Antonio and I from her look. And there was no recognition there. I tried to keep my face neutral, but I ended up looking away just in case it crumpled. I didn't dare look at Alex or Bear. Antonio tried to catch my eye, but I shrugged him off.

"I'm gonna go clean up. Uh, maybe see you three 'round," I muttered, and ducked out of the room, chucking the whipped cream to Antonio as I passed him. I picked a piece of lettuce out of my wig (which is as weird as it sounds), and contemplated the likelihood of Marselle letting me bunk with Antonio. Maybe ignoring them altogether would be easier, so I wouldn't have to see their blank faces each time they saw me. I decided what the heck, and hooked my arm through Marselle's when I walked by him. "I wanna talk to you," I muttered. He didn't protest, and farewelled my friends.

"Meet you in your room, Toni," I called over my shoulder.

"What did you want to talk about, Oliver?" Darius asked, but I was pretty sure he already knew.

"I need a room change," I said simply.

He didn't look surprised. "Now, Oli-"

"Don't call me that!" I snapped. Then I regained my composure. "Look, I've changed my mind. I don't _want_ to change. I _need_ to. I can't face them without them knowing who I am. It...it hurts too much," I finished desperately.

His expression softened. "I know. I know this is hard for you, but I can't reprogramme you to another dorm while you're still in the system. So you'll have to stay where you are, I'm afraid."

I saw it coming. I probably should've stopped there, but did I? No! My time with Aven had taught me to make the most of the times when you _could_ argue. Plus, I was desperate, which was probably a bad look for me, but whatever. Hey, I wasn't even actually me! I was _Oliver Jones._

"Professor, even though I'm a big boy doesn't mean I can handle _everything._ Have you been Claimed? No. Have you considered suicide? Another no? Or, or, how about _seen your friends not recognize you and think you're a loser_. Still a no? Well-"

"Jordan," he said loudly. I shut up. "It was your choice to fake being a student at Akarnae, correct?" I opened my mouth to reply, but he didn't let me. "You could've just staked it out from afar. Or, even better, invisibly, with your gift." Well, that was true. Did he have a point here? "You chose to come back and see your friends, so you have to deal with the consequences of that." Did Alex not get annoyed at this guy every time she talked to him about her problems? Because I was sure frustrated.

Before I could retort, some interrupted.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but if you're done speaking, could I talk to Oli?" Alex asked politely. Marselle gave me a pointed look, then stepped back.

"Sure. Go ahead," he replied bemusedly, and I internally scowled as he walked away. Alex turned to me.

"Hey, we were wondering, since you were new, if you and your friend wanted to come with us to the Rec Room to hang out, or maybe we could give you a tour?" This was where I had to decide whether to be a dick and decline, or go with them like the all-around nice guy I was (if Antonio could hear my thoughts right now, he would've laughed his butt off. But he couldn't, and he wasn't).

"Uh, well...a tour would be good," I replied lamely. Alex smiled.

"Cool. Meet us by the entrance in an hour after you get cleaned up, because I'm pretty sure you need it." I touched the food in my hair.

"Probably." I turned, then paused halfway. "Thanks. Let's just, uh, forget about that whole food fight thing, yeah? Sorry about your brunch, by the way," I added like the chivalrous guy I was. Antonio probably would've busted his gut by now.

Alex grinned wryly. "Forget about what? And no worries; my best friend used to do stuff like that all..." her voice broke, and her face closed off. I watched her curiously. "Never mind. See you later." And then she walked away, back to Dix and Bear.

Assuming she was talking about me - well, okay, who _else_ would she be talking about? - she obviously was still recovering from it. Which, weirdly enough, actually comforted me, because it showed me she really cared about me. Now, before you think I'm going sappy on you, stop thinking it right there. I wouldn't turn this into a sappy story about the true meaning of friendship, because who'd want to read that rubbish? Not me.

Anyway.

I headed up to my room with a warm feeling - and no, I was pretty sure it _wasn't_ the pasta on my head.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **Okay, so I stole a joke from someone in this chapter; you know who you are. This may be badly written because I wasn't really that focused on it half the time, but yeah. Anyway.**

 **Enjoy! (sigh)**

"We're going for a tour with this Alex chick?" Antonio clarified. I nodded.

"And Bear and Dix. But, uh, don't call her Dix, because we're not meant to know that."

He flashed a thumbs up. "You got it, boss!" I eyed him shrewdly. He doubled the thumbs up.

"Because you doubled it, I'm gonna trust you. And you don't know Alex is from Freya, okay? Because that'd _definitely_ blow our cover-"

"Sparky," he interrupted. "Relax. Do I really look like the kind of guy to screw things up?"

I looked him up and down, tapping my finger on my chin. "Well, since you're asking-"

"Oh, shut up."

"Hey, you _did_ ask the question."

"Whatever. Let's go." With that, he walked out of the door. I jammed my foot in it before it closed and hurried after him.

"Hey! Wait up! You don't even know where we're going," I accused, running down the stairs two at a time. Then I realised I was talking to thin air. "Antonio! Where'd you-"

Oh. The dude could teleport. He had not been kidnapped by a creepy knight like Alex had that one time. I was cautious of Sir Can Opener randomly appearing every time I walked down a flight of stairs. What can I say? Something about talking suits of armour freak me out.

"Yo, Oli, man. Why'd you take so long?" Antonio asked, grinning. I flipped him off, and we began walking towards where the others were standing in the distance.

I pointed a finger at him. "Remember, no screwing anything up, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah. I got this, bro. You're gonna be the one messing up, what with your having crushes on two thirds of them-"

"Shut up or I'll tell Calista you like her," I said loudly, before speeding up my walk.

"You wouldn't dare!" He called after me. I spun, and pulled out my TCD, finger hovering over Calista's name. I only had her on my contact list so I could get hold of one of Aven's cronies if something went bad. Because of course, the king couldn't deal with his own servants. Oh no, that was far below him. Calista was also in love with Antonio, or so I deducted. I mean, I knew the symptoms well enough. She probably wasn't all bad, but...she was Claimed, so who can judge?

"Okay, okay. I'll be quiet," he grumbled. I smiled widely and slipped my TCD back into my pocket. Didn't want the others seeing that, because they'd probably recognize it on sight.

"Glad you could make it," Alex said as we arrived.

D.C. muttered something under her breath. "Even if they were ten minutes late." Alex and Bear both shot her sharp looks.

"Listen, maybe you're still all depressed since...the _incident_ , but you don't have to take it out on everyone, especially since they don't even know who he is," Bear murmured to her. If only they knew just how much I really _did_ know. Dix shrugged, an innocent look on her face.

"He's an idiot. A real idiot," she whispered.

"Yeah," Alex agreed. "He is." Well, thanks guys. Lovely to know you think I'm stupid.

"So, this tour?" Antonio suggested, trying to break up the pity party.

"Oh, yeah," Bear said. "Let's start at Gen-Sec."

"Since they already know where the most important place is," Alex said, a sad smile on her face. Bear grinned briefly, before it faded out.

"Yeah. No need to visit the cafeteria again."

"And why is that the most important place?" Antonio asked. I shot him a look.

"Dude, it's _food_. Don't question it," I replied. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"It's an...inside joke, you could say," Alex said slowly. Bear nodded, while Dix looked confused.

"Inside joke?" She asked.

"When you were still anti-social," Bear answered.

"I'm still anti-social now," she replied, eyebrows arched.

Bear shrugged. "When you were even more anti-social than you are now," he offered.

"I'll take that."

"So, Gen-Sec?" Alex prompted.

"Uh, yeah. Let's go," Bear said, and started walking towards the U shaped building.

Dix started talking. "So, this is Gen-Sec, where all of the academic classes are held, mostly-"

"All the boring classes," Bear quipped. Alex turned to him.

"Are you trying to re-create my tour, or something? Because you can quit it now, I get the point," she said.

"So _that's_ what you were referencing," Dix mumbled.

I decided to play my part as the newbie and raised my hand. "So, um, I'm kind of lost here. And since we've only started the tour, I don't think that's a good sign."

"You're right. We're crappy tour guides," Bear stated.

"Hey, I'm not gonna disagree," I said, grinning.

Alex pointed at the Library. "Do we go there, or not risk it, since it's only been like five hours since we got back?"

Dix shrugged. "If you want to show them just how _amazing_ our school really is, then sure."

"What's so great about a library?" Antonio asked boredly.

D.C. raised her eyebrows mysteriously, before saying cryptically, "you never know what kinds of things happen in a library," and walking off.

"What's up with her?" I asked, genuinely curious. I didn't know anything about what happened after they left for Kaldoras, so I was pretty in the dark when it came to how my being Claimed affected my friends.

Bear glanced over at her, then turned back to me and lowered his voice. "Our friend got-uh, he...went away, recently. It's hitting her pretty hard. If any of us start acting weird, that's why."

"Ah. Right." We trailed behind her, not sure whether to give her space or not.

"Hey, what dorms are you two in?" Bear asked suddenly. Antonio answered first.

"Some room on floor eight," he said. "Luckily, I don't have to worry about the stairs." At Bear's quizzical look, he grinned and vanished from sight. Bear _bear_ ly flinched. See what I did there? That's good humor right there, folks. I guess he was just used to me disappearing all the time.

"So, he can go invisible? Because I've had four years dealing with my invisible friend-"

"Oh, don't worry, he's not invisible," I said assuringly. Bear's eyebrows raised, and he opened his mouth to reply when Antonio popped up behind up.

"Tally ho!" Bear turned, and jumped back. I started laughing.

"'Tally ho'? What the heck, dude?" I exclaimed, grinning.

Bear turned back to me. "So, what dorm're you in?"

I held up two fingers. "Firstly, I think that was bad grammar. Secondly, third floor, room twelve." Bear froze.

"Really," he asked calmly. I just nodded, waiting for his reaction. "Marselle put you in with me?" Another nod. "Thanks Darrius. Really respecting my mourning process, aren't you?"

"So," I said awkwardly. "I'm not the dream roommate?" He glanced up at me.

"Right, sorry. Don't take it the wrong way, just...my old roommate...only moved out a couple weeks ago."

"Hey, whatever. I can change if you want-"

"No, it's good. Maybe it'll take my mind off of other stuff."

No one said much for the rest of the tour, so the next half hour was pretty awkward. I was actually glad when it was done, because it gave me an excuse to go write another list of why I should wallow in my self-pity. I was casually strolling through the forest when I heard someone running after me.

"Oliver!" I stopped and turned around, kind of annoyed. I was fine just enjoying the tranquillity of the nature surrounding me...who rubbed off on me to make me say _that_? Jeez, Jordan.

"Di-D.C?" I corrected myself, inwardly cringing. Why? Just...couldn't I be good at this whole undercover thing? No, I apparently could not. Dix didn't look happy. Her eyes were narrowed at me, and an angry Dix was not something I liked to see. She was seriously scary.

"You were going to say Dix, weren't you?" She asked accusingly.

I shrugged. "Well, you never know. Maybe I was going to say 'dig', or 'dinner'." She looked at me for a second, before dropping her eyes and sighing.

"Okay. Look, I'm pretty stressed out right now, and I've been really angry lately, and I hate it. So sorry about that. But even if the others don't see it, there's something...weird about you. Suspicious." I raised my hands, and lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah? What makes you think that?" I asked casually, scratching my neck.

She held up her fingers, and ticked off her points. "For one thing, you somehow knew about my nickname. Second, I had a dream the other night, and you were in it-"

"Dreaming about me, huh?" I winked. She scowled at me.

"I'm _prophetic_ , but I bet you already knew that, didn't you?" I didn't answer. I mean, I didn't actually want to lie to her. "Also, you just held up your hands, which probably wasn't a very genius idea." I looked down at my hands in puzzlement. What was she-?

Oh.

The glowing silver scar.

Why the hell had I not covered that up? You _idiot_ , Jordan!

"So, do you wanna explain before I tell Marselle?"

I took a deep breath. "You won't believe me. Or you'll kill me before I can get a word out."

"And why's that?" I stepped forward and put both my hands on her shoulders.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone. I'm completely serious right now. I swear as long as I can, I won't let you get hurt." I stared into her eyes intently. She furrowed her eyebrows, but nodded.

"Whatever. If you say you won't kill me, I'll roll with it." I grinned briefly, before sighing.

"Okay. So, I'm just gonna get this over with. Um, yeah," I began awkwardly as she rolled her eyes. And then I took out the contacts.

"What-" She stopped talking when I took off the wig. "...Jordan?" She whispered.

"That would be me." I watched her closely for her reaction. I wasn't prepared for the shove.

"You got Claimed! No, scratch that, you _asked_ to be Claimed! Why the _hell_ would you _ever_ do that, you idiot!" I just stood there, not talking, waiting for her to finish venting. "Oh, stop smirking, Sparker."

"Then stop hitting me! There's only so much a guy can take, you know." Her face morphed into a confused expression.

"Wait...if you're Claimed...why- _how_ are you here?" She questioned cautiously. I glanced to my left and right, mainly for the show, because I'm secretly planning to be an actor if I ever get un-Claimed. Yup.

"Okay. So, I'm on this mission from Aven to find out as much as I can about how Alex's training's going, because he's a creepy weirdo stalker, and I'm allowed to use... _whatever means necessary_ to achieve that. Antonio's Claimed too. I guess I'm kinda in a good position because Aven won't kill me, since he needs me as a kind of bait to draw Alex out, because she's all gung-ho about coming to save me," I finished bitterly. Maybe I was safe, but it was a pretty crappy kind of safe, really.

"You're not joking, are you?" She asked. I shook my head. "And you don't want me to tell anyone? Not even Alex or Bear?" I nodded. "Why not? I mean, I won't tell as long as you don't want me to, but...why?"

"Well," I drawled. "See, Aven doesn't _really_ want anyone to know, otherwise he might just be tempted to kill me anyway." Her eyes widened.

"Seriously? If you'd just said that, I wouldn't of asked in the first place!" She paused, then added, "I won't tell. I promise. I mean, I've been keeping the whole princess gig a secret for years now. What's one more thing to the mix?"

"Thanks, Dix," I said sincerely. Then something occurred to me. "You know, last time we promised something to each other, I ended up getting Claimed."

She cut me an unimpressed look. " _Why_ , exactly, did you bring that up?"

"Just reminiscing the good old days, when our biggest worries weren't actually that big."

"Well, I have something to ask you. I know the last time you promised me something, it backfired, but this time I'm serious."

"You weren't serious the first time?" I quipped.

"No, I was just joking," she drawled in response. "But, Jordan...don't get caught. If you don't want me to tell Alex or Bear, don't get caught."

"Is this another one of your dreams?" I asked. "Because if it is, I wanna know this time before something bad happens-"

"Maybe I should've mentioned my dreams earlier, but I was scared. And...I haven't had a dream, but...I've got a feeling. And generally, my feelings aren't wrong."

"Don't worry. I'll stay away from black cats and not step on any cracks. I'll be _fine_ ," I emphasized.

"As fine as you can be when you're Claimed by an evil Meyarin bent on destroying every human in existence," she said understandingly.

"You got it," I replied, winking.

"You're gonna be the death of me, Jordan Sparker." She leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek before turning around to face the academy. "See you at dinner." I stood there and contemplated my existence. Dix knew about me. Oh, screw that. That wasn't the main thing on my mind. Dix had _kissed me_. Okay, so _maybe_ it was on the cheek, but still! It counted!

Carefully re-applying the wig and contacts, I started making my way back towards the academy, resolving to find some gloves.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **So, this is chapter five, and Jordan may be acting a bit weird, so just ignore that. But yeah. I just wanna point out now that my stories are** ** _mostly_** **dialogue based, so if you want detail, I'm not your person. Anyway,**

 **Enjoy!**

"Nice gloves." I jumped and turned around, coming face to face with Bear. "They have the weirdest clothes in the wardrobes here." I picked up one of the dresses sceptically.

"Not your evening best, I suppose?" I cracked. He grinned and shook his head.

"Nah. I thought I'd save that one for you."

I dropped the dress and took a seat on my bunk. "So. I can tell you're a clean freak," I commented to break the silence.

Bear chuckled. "What gave me away?" He gestured to the piles of clothes and general mess of the dorm. "And it's only been a day since I got back. That's gotta be some kind of record."

"I'm impressed," I said, whistling. "So do classes start up tomorrow?"

"Yep. Just wait 'til you meet Finn and Karter. You're gonna regret ever coming here."

"They can't be that bad," I replied cockily, trying to hide my smirk.

Bear gave me an apprehensive look. "If you're still saying that tomorrow, you're officially a psychopath."

"Hey, psychoticness's my specialty," I protested.

"If you say so."

Antonio and I hadn't really looked over our timetables yet in all the drama and confusion. We'd swapped them so we could break the sad news to each other, and I was eyeballing his in shock. I wasn't really expecting mine to change, but you never know.

"Beta Chemistry, Epsilon ES, Epsilon Archery, Epsilon PE, Delta Combat. Dude," I said in awe.

"So, what's the highest level?" Antonio asked casually.

"Um, Epsilon," I replied absentmindedly, scanning his schedule again to make sure I was reading right. The Beta was the only slightly normal class on that sheet.

"You sure 'bout that, bro? 'Cause, um, well. I don't think I'm that great at anything, and um. You'd better look for yourself." I took my timetable from him, and my jaw dropped.

"What the _hell_ was Marselle _thinking_?"

Gamma Chemistry. That hadn't changed, at least. But my other classes? Well.

"Epsilon PE, Archery _and_ Combat? _And_ Delta ES? _What_?"

Antonio watched me nervously. "So, we're in nearly all the top classes?" I dropped my head into my hands.

"We're screwed, dude. Absolutely screwed."

I slammed my palm on Marselle's desk. "What the _hell_ is up with these timetables?" He glanced up at me in amusement. Why was he smirking? _He_ wasn't the one who had to face both Finn and Karter's wrath in the toughest classes weekly. To hell with that, _daily_ , even!

"I believe," he began slowly, probably enjoying my painful torture. "That since you are Claimed, you have higher aptitudes for your physical classes. I'm guessing the reason you're only Epsilon for three out of four of your physical classes is so your fellow students don't get too suspicious." I just stared at him.

"Because they won't be suspicious of us having three Epsilon classes, right? And one Delta!" I exclaimed. He raised his eyebrows.

"Gamma Chemistry isn't particularly intimidating, is it?" I threw my hands in the air and groaned. He gave me a slightly (only slightly. _Slightly_ ) empathetic glance, and added, "if it makes you feel any better, you've got Antonio in most of your Epsilon subjects. And for Combat, you've got Alex."

"Who doesn't know who I am," I muttered bitterly.

"You'll be fine. Aven didn't say you'd die, so I think you have to get back to him in one piece. That's a guarantee, at least."

Did he just-

Did he just try and mock me? I'd like to see _him_ last a day in Finn's class. But there was no changing it; I was in big trouble.

I mean, come on. Finn and Karter's top classes, in one day? That's practically a death sentence.

I relayed the following to Antonio, who moaned and flopped back onto his bunk. "Why? Why did I agree to come to your school? I'm pretty sure it was even my idea! What kind of idiot _am I_?"

I just stared. "You don't actually want me answering that, right?"

I took his middle finger as a no.

"So, what classes are you guys in?" Alex asked at breakfast tomorrow. I just groaned, and Antonio let his head fall to the table. "That bad, huh?" Wordlessly, I handed over our schedules, being careful not to let my makeup smudge. Yes, I'd put makeup over my scar so no one'd see it. No judging. After twenty seconds of looking at them, Alex stared at us with wide eyes.

"Yeah," I mumbled.

"What? What've you got?" Dix and Bear crowded around the pieces of paper, and then turned disbelieving gazes to us. "Oh, damn. You're gonna die."

"You said that awfully happily," Antonio noted at Dix. She shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm feeling pretty good today. In the happy mood." Alex and Bear gave her weird glances which she seemed determined to ignore.

"I feel like I just missed something significant," Antonio said.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You know the word 'significant'? Aw, proud of you, man!"

"Oh, shut it."

"What do you have first?" Bear asked. I looked down and felt like crying.

"Oh no." At everyone's quizzical glances, I sighed. "I don't even wanna say it. Just...look."

"Oh my god. I didn't even know he _had_ an Epsilon class," Bear said in surprise. Neither did I, man. He didn't exactly seem like the type to take on apprentices. I pitied those poor souls.

"I can't believe anyone made the cut," Alex added.

"I wonder what torture methods he's gonna use on you," Dix put in. I shot her a look. "What? Just being honest."

Antonio and I began the long walk to the PE field. I was mentally preparing myself for the pain that was sure to come, and tried to steel myself. Neither of us said anything until we were as close as we could go without anyone else seeing us.

"When I die, you can't have my virtual reality screen," I whispered.

"I didn't think I would. You're weirdly protective over that thing," he whispered back.

"Aven let me have something other than that dumb knife. No wonder I'm protective about it."

We trudged over to the three other students, who were all fully stretched.

"We should probably do that," Antonio noted.

I gave him a no duh look. "Yeah." We kind of avoided the other students, mainly because they all looked old (er than us) and scary. Halfway through warm up, though, one of them came and introduced herself.

"Hey, I'm Renske and welcome to your imminent doom!" She said with sarcastic cheer. I gave an unenthusiastic 'yay', while Antonio nodded seriously.

"Can't wait," he deadpanned. The girl grinned over at her classmates.

"Yo, these two might actually be decent. Get your butts over here and introduce yourselves!" I decided I liked her.

The two older boys jogged over. The black-haired guy spoke first. "Congrats on making it into hell. You don't get used to it."

"Well that's reassuring," I muttered. Renske heard me and grinned widely.

"Stop complaining, Jet. It's not _that_ bad," the second red-head boy put in.

The one who I guess was Jet scowled. "How the hell are you so happy when we've got PE in the morning?" Valid question. He fixed his eyes on me sceptically. Uh oh. "This is your first year at Akarnae, right? How'd you get into this class?" I shrugged and decided to keep my mouth shut about my other high level classes. Didn't need these guys thinking I was a freak on the first lesson. No siree.

"Hey, if I had a choice, I would've chosen like Alpha or something."

"You're actually strong, though! And fit! I couldn't even _walk here_ without getting tired. I'm destined to fail this class," Antonio whined, placing his head on his knees. I patted his hair reassuringly.

"And the best part is, you can't move classes, so you're failing for the rest of the year!" I said perkily.

"So not helping."

"HEY!" I closed my eyes, then looked at Renske. She nodded grimly. "LET'S GO GO GO, TEN LAPS, THEN WE'LL TEST YOUR SWIMMING SKILLS. HURRY UP!" The other three took off immediately, and I yanked Antonio to his feet before sprinting after them. Slacking in this class was _not_ high on my to do list. And trust me, I did actually have one of those.

"Oh, crap, we're falling behind!" I yelled in Antonio's ear, and I knew we wouldn't be able to catch up.

Unless...

"We're gonna have to use our...abilities!" I shouted at him. Before you ask why the heck I'm shouting, the wind was really loud, okay? Especially when you're running.

"What? Are you crazy? We don't even...are you crazy?" He repeated loudly. My grim expression must've been enough answer.

"We're gonna fail this class otherwise," I told him. He sighed, before closing his eyes.

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this," he muttered under his breath. "You're on, Sparky." Then he started full on sprinting.

"Oh, no, you don't!" I closed my eyes, focused on embracing my Meyarin side, and picked up my pace.

We caught up to the others. And then overtook them. I think we were so afraid of Finn coming after us with his new torture weapon - which, FYI, looked way more vicious than his last one - and we just decided to leg it. Once we'd half lapped them, I slowed down.

"Don't wanna be _too_ good." So we ran the whole ten laps and finished a full minute ahead of our classmates, who were eyeing us weirdly.

"How'd you do that?" Red head asked.

Jet nodded, eyes narrowed. "Pretty good for two newbies." Renske shut them up.

"Hey, they're both better than you two, so shut it."

"Thank you, Renske," Finn said before turning to me and Antonio. "Whatever that was, keep it up." Maybe being part Meyarin was a good thing, in some aspects. Minus the whole 'obeying Aven's every whim' part of it. Which _kinda_ sucked.

"I hope you've been practising your swimming," Finn grinned and rubbed his hands together like some evil genius. Why was he allowed to teach? I mean really, who made _that_ executive decision? "I've got a leisurely drill set up for you."

Turns out, 'leisurely drill' actually translated into 'freaking ten kilometre race'.

Of course, I hadn't brought togs, and neither had Antonio, so he had to swim in his yoga pants while I was stuck in my bulky shorts. This was _really_ not going well.

I peeled off my shirt (which was practically _soaked_ with sweat, even though I wasn't that tired), and threw it on the ground in disgust. Making sure my pockets were empty, I stepped up to the edge of the water cautiously. A rough shove nearly made me lose my balance, but I recovered and spun around to face Jet.

"Listen, I get that you're new and wanna impress everyone, but you're not the top of the school, so quit acting like it." Anyone else would've shrugged it off. But since the whole 'being above everyone else' charade hit a little close to home with my parents, I pushed him back. I was slightly taller than him, so it wasn't hard. Lifting one eyebrow, I folded my arms. Time to show him not to mess with the Sparky!

Okay, I just totally killed my vibe.

"No, you freaking _listen_ , pal. I bet I've been through more in my life than you ever will in yours. I bet I could fight you right now. Why? Because I bet you're not in Epsilon Combat." I let that sink in before turning around again. "Or Epsilon Archery. Maybe I'll just _happen_ to let an arrow loose in your direction. And man, being Epsilon, I must have _pretty_ good aim." I winked at him, and gestured to where his red headed friend was waiting. "I think you're friend's waiting for you. I'd suggest you head off before you embarrass yourself anymore. Yeah?" He scowled and opened his mouth before deciding against it and storming away.

"Making enemies on your first day, Oli? You're gonna be _sooo_ popular," Antonio drawled. I grinned at him.

"Yep, that's me. Total socialite."

"The fact your parents actually _are_ socialites makes that so much more ironic."

I stared at him dully. "No duh, 'Varez. That's why I said it."

I turned and jumped into the water. And _damn_ it was cold. Renske turned to me from where she was treading water.

"Taking on Jet already, huh? Dumb move."

I shrugged. "Hey, he started it."

"You're not seven. Don't try pull that 'it was him, not me!' crap." She pitched her voice higher when she was quoting me, and I frowned.

"I don't sound like that," I protested.

"Sure. He's not actually that bad. You just have to...earn his respect." I jumped when I felt something wrap around my leg.

"Really." She grinned.

"Truly."

I gave her a doubtful look. "So, beating him in the run didn't work?"

"Beating him at his own game? No, it didn't _really_ impress him. Annoy, maybe."

"Well, that's great." I realized that none of the others actually seemed to be overly tired. The only strain I was feeling was from trying to use too much of my Meyarin powers. But it wasn't like I was exhausted or anything. I bet I just jinxed myself.

"I don't know your name."

I arched an eyebrow at her and tried to kick the... _whatever it was_ off of my knee. "Do you _need_ to know my name?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "I like to know the names of the people I'm going to beat." Oh no she didn't! I was so not going to let her beat me now.

"Oli Jones. And you're on," I replied, trying to ignore the suspiciously squishy mud at the bottom of the lake (I'm talking sewer level squishy here, folks).

"Well, Jones, I'm at least a year older than you, and I've been in this class for three years. You've been here for one day. What makes you think you can win?" She challenged. Good point.

"You might be surprised." No, she wouldn't. I was gonna lose this majorly and be totally embarrassed afterwards. Ah, well.

"On your marks, get-GO!" I wasn't prepared for the call, but apparently the other three had anticipated that. I exchanged a glance with Antonio before I dived under the water.

And nearly choked on a plant.

So maybe I over-exaggerate a lot of stuff so it's more interesting to read, or just because I'm just a dramatic idiot. But I was _not_ kidding when the plant nearly choked me. Honest. I stood up, sinking to my knees in the stupid mud, and pulled the thing out of my throat. I recognized the plant in horror and turned to face Finn, who was lounging boredly on the bank.

"Hey, I just swallowed this stuff, and I'm pretty sure it's poisonous!" I called up to him. He looked at me in disgust before laying back down. What kind of teacher lets their students get poisoned, I ask you? What kind of dumb teacher?

When I didn't move, and Renske and Jet were nearly back at my end, he glanced back up at me.

"Why're you still here, Jones? GET MOVING!" I knew he wouldn't budge, so I just sucked it up and started swimming. By this point, even Antonio was in front of me, and I was feeling particularly embarrassed when I felt something catch on the waist of my shorts. What the hell? I turned back to see Finn standing up, wielding a...fishing rod? I tried to unhook the catch from myself, but it didn't work. Crap. A second later, I felt a jolt from the hook.

"Finn, wha-agh," My yell turned into a grunt as a shock of pain washed over me. What was he _doing_?

"GET MOVING, OR I'LL DO IT AGAIN!" That was enough motivation for me, so I started swimming as fast as I could towards the other end of the lake. I was already exhausted when I was halfway there, but Finn had _really_ upgraded his tech. Stupid Finn.

Needless to say, I finished last.

I also finished a full ten minutes after everyone else, so when I climbed out of the lake and collapsed in a heap on the grass, the whole Alpha class were watching me and trying not to laugh. I told them they were lucky they weren't in Epsilon, and they stopped laughing after that. It also meant I was fifteen minutes late to my next class. But what I had failed to notice before PE was that my next class was _Combat_.

Who the hell designed my timetable?

So I rocked up to the Arena late, still dripping from PE since I hadn't had time to change, and I'd forgotten my shirt on the field where some poor Alpha shmuck was being forced to dispose of it. The rest of the class was already there, and they all watched me as I walked in.

"Oh, great," I muttered, then plastered a smile on my face and strutted in like I owned the place because, please, I'm Jordan Sparker. Or Oli Jones. Take your pick.

"Mr Jones. You're late," Karter said, eyeing my appearance with distaste.

"Yeah," I answered absentmindedly, scanning the rest of the class. There were six of them. Alex, Kaiden, Declan. Nick, Sebastian, Brendan. This was gonna be _great_.

"And _why_ are you late, exactly?" I snapped my attention back to Karter and gestured to myself.

"I just had PE, dude. Did you expect me to be early?" He kept up his blank look. "Epsilon PE, too. I got a mouthful of some poisonous thing or other, and he didn't let me go to the Med-Ward..." I trailed off as I realized that yeah, I'd swallowed something _poisonous_. Oh, crap.

"And you _didn't_ go to the Med-Ward after you'd finished?" Karter pressed. I threw my hands up.

"Who's idea was it to give me PE and Combat in a row?" I muttered quietly. I heard a few laughs, and flashed Karter my best smile. "In all due respect, sir, the electric _fishing line_ made me forget about that pretty quick. Plus, I've been feeling weird all morning. Maybe I should go-"

"No," he cut me off. "You decided to come, so you'll participate." I felt my jaw drop.

"But, sir-"

"Not my problem. Pair up!" I just stared in disbelief. "Go on, Jones." I turned towards the others, who were starting to pair up. Alex came over to me.

"I don't know what's up with you, but you can explain while we duel," she said. I nodded, and followed her over to the weapons shed. I was pretty familiar with swords, and I'd seen Alex fight, so I was pretty sure I wouldn't be sliced in half.

"Don't worry. I won't hurt you; too bad," she added sweetly, smiling. I grinned and threw my sword in the air, catching it by the hilt.

"Bring it," I said, popping an eyebrow at her awed expression. She thrust her blade towards my neck, which I easily deflected it and countered with a random stab. I wasn't really with it.

"Why are you in so many Epsilon classes?" She asked, parrying my blade away.

"Hell if I know. I just wish I wasn't."

"I so relate to that. But you're in three Epsilon's, right?"

"Plus one Delta. I'm cursed," I replied, jabbing my sword at her again.

She narrowly dodged it. "Are you even paying attention? That could've killed me!"

"But it didn't," I countered, and kept attacking. I figured I didn't have the energy to defend all of her hits, so being on constant offense was my only option. But then she closed her eyes. I pulled back from my attack and stared at her, confused.

"What are you doing? Why are you-?" Her blade suddenly came at me, and I had to jump back to avoid being impaled. She kept fighting, even better than she had before, but her eyes were still _closed_. What-?

"Are you gonna fight me?" She challenged. I centred my blade, and narrowed my eyes. Okay, she had a trick up her sleeve. But I still had one up mine. I channelled my Meyarin blood again, and countered all of her blows before kicking at her ankle. It was so quick she couldn't block it, and she fell to the ground. I placed my knee on her chest, and held my sword right under her throat.

"Give up?" I asked quietly, my face right near hers.

Her eyes rolled. "Well I can't really say no, can I?"

"What was that?" I asked loudly.

" _Yes_ , I give up. Now get off me, you're dripping." I noticed that my shorts were still soaked and quickly stood up.

"Oops. Sorry," I said, grinning.

"I feel like you don't feel very apologetic," she said dryly. I shrugged

"What can I say? Now I wo-" I was taken off guard when she pounced, knocking me over and pointing her blade right at my chest. "Wha-?"

"Karter didn't say we were finished," she grinned victoriously. "So I win."

"Hey, hey, watch the blade," I said mildly as I saw a cut on my stomach. Her eyes widened.

"Oh, crap. I'm so sorry, I didn't-" Grabbing my sword, I flicked it upwards, causing Alex to lose her hold on her own sword. As she bent down to grab it, I darted behind her and wrapped one arm around her neck, the other one holding my blade steady against her throat yet again.

"You were saying?" I smirked.

"Oh, shut up." This time I waited for Karter's approval before helping her up. As we were walking, my vision started going black at the edges.

"What-" My throat choked up, and I remembered the plant. The stupid _plant._ I dropped to my knees, gasping for breath. I really hoped Marselle was right about me not being able to die before I got back to Aven, because right now, my chances weren't looking so good.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

 **So to everyone who reads this (I know there are a few. Emphasis on** ** _few_** **), here's the chapter! Finally! But I hope you enjoy it, even if it's not too good. Or gouda ;)**

 **(Read the ending)**

 **Enjoy!**

I woke up, but kept my eyes closed. I wiggled my toes. Wrinkled my nose. No pain. Which meant I couldn't get out of my next classes. Dang.

"I see you're awake." I snapped my eyes open and saw Fletcher standing above me, grinning.

"Don't do that!" I exclaimed. "Especially to a patient whose just recovered from being " _poisoned!_ "

"My apologies." He didn't say anything else, so I kept talking.

"So, what happened? I mean, I know I swallowed something bad, but did I nearly die or something cool like that?" He eyed me weirdly, and was quiet for a bit before answering.

"Nearly die or 'something cool like that'? Were you expecting some dramatic resurrection?"

I nodded seriously. "Oh, yes, sir. I'm all about resurrecting. And dramaticness. Or, uh, drama," I added awkwardly. He gave me an amused smile.

"Well, to keep it short, your throat swelled up and you nearly _did_ die, but nothing quite so interesting. You should have come to see me sooner, though," he said sternly. I gave him a sheepish smile.

"Um, how long ago, exactly?"

He stared me down. "As soon as it happened."

"I tried, honestly." At his disbelieving look, I quickly added, "no, really! But Finn wouldn't let me, then I forgot about it because of his electric shock machine and I didn't want to face Karter's wrath."

"You have Combat and PE in a row? Who designed your schedule?" He asked in surprise.

"I wish I knew," I murmured darkly.

"Anyhow, you'll be able to attend your last class. What do you have?" I pulled my timetable out of my pocket, and scanned it for my last class of the day. Oh, no. Why? Why couldn't SOSAC have been last instead of third? And why, you may ask, was I so annoyed at my schedule?

Next up was Epsilon Archery.

Why?

I gave Fletcher a weak smile. "Archery."

"That's not all bad," he said.

I held up a finger. " _Epsilon_ Archery."

"Ah." And this was only my first day of classes! I didn't know how long I had to stay here, but I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end of the week.

I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Well, nice talking to you, but I really don't want to be late for another class. So, uh, thanks, and bye," I waved before heading out the door, Fletcher's chuckle following me.

Turned out, there was still ten minutes before the start of third class. I considered finding the others, but decided against it. I didn't particularly feel like explaining everything right now. So I wandered around the field, most likely looking like an idiot, which really wasn't _too_ far off the mark. I sat down on the grass and leaned back, staring up at the sky. I was inspecting a suspiciously Jordan-shaped cloud when a shadow appeared over my face. Which probably meant I'd have to face human interaction. I groaned (which the person wanting to talk to me probably took as a 'can you not? I'm trying to cloud gaze here' and propped myself up on my elbows. "Hi...Renske?"

She plopped (weird word. Plop. Sorry, I'm getting off track again) down beside me. "That would be me. You survive this morning?" I stared at her dully.

"You come to rub it in my face that you won? Because I'm not really in the being bragged to mood-" She cut me off.

"Please. You didn't finish 'til partway through the Alpha class. And before you ask how I know, my sister's in that class. I suppose the whole Epsilon gene doesn't run in the family," she added, before giving me a look of sympathy. "So, are you okay?"

I considered. "Well, I'm not going to die. Even though I ate some stupid plant and nearly did. The whole passing out in Combat was pretty inconvenient as well." She just gaped at me incredulously.

"Combat right after PE? Who the hell did you have to kill to deserve that?"

"You wanna know the worst part?" I asked. She gave a shrug, then nodded. "It's Epsilon Combat."

Silence. Then, "you're not serious?"

"In my dreams I'm not. It's a nice place, my dream world," I said, before regretting it immediately. What just came out of my mouth?

She gave me an amused glance. "I'm taking that as a yes. Well Mr Bigshot, what d'you have next, then? Epsilon Chemistry?" I snorted at that.

"I wish. I'm nowhere near smart enough for that. Oh no, I'm stuck with plain old Epsilon Archery," I said exaggeratedly with random hand gestures. She grinned.

"Hardcore. I have Med-Sci, which is the definition of yawn-worthy." She opened up her ComTCD to check the time, and stood up, brushing herself off. "Have fun. But not too much fun, once is enough times to nearly die in one day," she added with a wink.

I smirked back. "Wouldn't dream of it." Then I turned to face the other few students heading towards the Archery field. This wasn't fair. Why did I get stuck with the dumb schedule? Stupid Aven, making me all super-enhanced and in the top classes.

I don't want to repeat what happened in Archery, but let's just say I accidentally hit a classmate and got a time-out the rest of the lesson. By the time dinner rolled around, I was shattered.

"Hey, buddy! How'd your first day go?" Antonio asked cheerfully, sitting down beside me. I groaned, and rested my head on my elbow.

"It was horrible," I murmured into the table. I felt a sharp poke on my back, and I jumped up. "Hey!"

"Well, my day was pretty good, actually, aside from PE-"

I interrupted him miserably. "You think your PE was bad."

"Ah, yes, didn't you nearly drown?"

"Who nearly drowned?" D.C. asked, taking a seat opposite us. I raised a feeble hand.

"And it's only day one!" I moaned, before picking up my menu. Hey, food is important! Without food you die! Therefore food is a priority.

Bear grinned at me as a glass of dillyberry juice appeared in front of him. I hadn't even noticed he'd arrived. "Already dying?"

"I basically did." Alex nodded from her place next to him. How had I missed both of them sitting down? Was I really that tired?

"How are you, by the way? You kinda passed out before I could actually talk to you properly," she asked me. I shrugged at her.

"I mean, I'm alive," I said, spreading my hands. Antonio snorted.

"Barely," he said.

"Barely," I amended, nodding my head lazily. "I don't even think I have enough energy to eat." Dix snickered, but managed to hide it. Antonio wasn't so subtle.

Antonio gasped loudly, and his eyes widened dramatically. "J-Oliver Jones isn't hungry! The world is ending!"

I elbowed him lightly. "Oh, hush up. I've had a seriously bad day."

"You don't say?" Alex deadpanned. I smiled.

"I've nearly died, passed out, made some guy in my PE class hate me-"

"Nice work, by the way," Antonio commented. "I think that's the fastest I've ever seen somebody make an enemy."

"What can I say? It was hate at first sight." I ordered a sandwich, because I'd probably starve later on if I didn't. When the bacon-y goodness arrived, my mouth watered.

"Who's the lucky gal or guy?" Dix questioned, taking a bite out of her burger.

"Jet...whatever his last name is," I replied, shrugging. "I don't think the red-headed dude's so keen on me either."

"What _was_ his name?" Antonio mused.

"Beats me."

"Trouble in Epsilon?" Bear asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, yeah," I said, grinning. "You know Alex nearly impaled me in Combat?"

"No, I didn't!" She protested. "I barely cut you! You won, anyway," she added in a quieter voice.

"Well, I fainted, so it wasn't that victorious."

She shrugged. "Let's call it a draw."

Bear and Antonio exchanged a glance. "I don't think I've ever seen people argue that they _lost_ , before."

"No," Antonio agreed. "I don't think I have either." Dix was watching me strangely, and I met her eyes, but she just arched her eyebrows at me. Then I glanced at Antonio, and my eyes widened.

"Dude, you're gonna have to walk all the way to the eighth floor!" I exclaimed, my mouth quirking upwards. Yes, I felt sorry for him. But _yeah_ , it was absolutely hilarious at the same time.

Antonio stared at me flatly, unimpressed. Was I missing something? I didn't think I was missing something, unless maybe he'd moved floors without telling me. "I can _teleport_."

Oh. The smirk dropped from my face, and the others chuckled.

"Oh, yeah. I knew that, it just, uh, slipped."

"Sure, Oliver," he said skeptically. "I'm glad to know you've got my back. You're a great friend."

"Alright, alright, I get it," I replied understandingly. "You want to break it off. I understand, but why? I thought we were going strong, Toni." That set off a new round of laughs.

"I'm sorry, Oli, but you're just not my type anymore," he answered sadly, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

Slowly, the exhaustion drifted away, and I was left with a feeling I hadn't felt in weeks. I felt whole.

As cheesy as it sounds.

But I'm all about cheese. It's pretty gouda.


End file.
